Beating The Pirates
Dark day till we get LA again. At least we proved to the world we can beat Pitt.
Question of the day: How many of you are watching the Olympics? I haven’t seen a single second of it and am wondering if I’m missing out.
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A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
watched an inning of women softball, comeback W over hosts. fun fact: pitcher Monica Abbott was HS senior playing for Salinas in last game I ever coached. She was beast, they beat our 9th seed (worst, yuck even if we won we’d get the #1), their home gym was packed, and some parents forced head coach out after summer.
Zum, I am assuming she played bball as well…
Other than mens track, b-ball, not interested. womens 3 x 3 ball sounds cool–18 second shot clock ball to be cleared to 3, short time frame. former Pac 12 star from UW Kelsey Plum is one of 4 ladies on that US team. Man she tore up the Pac 12 league, including Stanford. Holds some kind of career scoring record iirc.
Was thinking of couple ways to improve NBA–first, no more defensive 3 second rule. Second, shorten shot clock to 20 seconds.
Dont you think ridding the defensive 3 seconds will just encourage more 3 pt shooting worsening the overall game by reducing even more floor play???
nah force them to have more ball and player movement, stop boring high screen and roll, and prevent G/C matchups on switch. You could still run horns type sets, but this would allow D to position someone in middle–still means open floor shooter if that’s how offense wants to set up. I think allowing 5 man zones in NBA would help, not hinder play as you force teams to adjust and move ball.
20 second shot clock takes away Harden type one man dribble nonsense and makes ball pressure more optimal, forcing offense to react and move ball more to create shots in shorter time frame. Ideally ha ha
I’m not watching one second of these Covid still infected, masks, no fans political Olympics!
Apparently I’m not alone as opening ceremonies drew a 16.7 million watchers which is laughable since more people watched Baylor&Gonzaza championship, the Markles interview, MNF etc..Oprah too.
Lowest rating in 33 years when they were in Seoul
fun fact: Kerry Crowley re tweeted a stat sheet that shows Giants have no hit Cody Bellinger—0-27 in 32 PAs.
I’m watching some of the Olympics. It all probably should have been cancelled because of the danger of Covid spread, but since the games are going on, I find some of it interesting enough to watch.
It was probably inevitable that interest in the Olympics would fade over the decades somewhat. There are so many different entertainment options for people now. There really isn’t any particular must-see TV thing anymore, nation-wide. Plus, with the fall of the Soviet Union thirty years ago, all that intensity of the Olympics being part of the “Cold War struggle” is gone.
The Chinese still have not gone full Evil Empire mode yet to replace the Soviets to make that a possible intense rivalry. But the Soviets also had all their puppet states so also made it feel like the US against half the world…
Watched two minutes of US mens volleyball live and watched on replay one minute of skateboarding and some type of kayaking thing and wonder why both of the later are even Olympic sports which makes me not to want to watch much for the rest of the Olympics. The time difference is a huge factor of my lack of interest. Keep forgetting to see what events are live…
Aaron Sanchez to be activated tomorrow, though Kap says, “I feel good about our rotation and so we don’t really have a clear spot for Aaron to slide into.”
Crawford supposed to be ready to be activated Thursday.
Btw A’s just lost 3rd 1 run game in row at Seattle yesterday. M’s are only game and a half behind them for second WC. A’s are at SD for 2 starting tomorrow and host them for 2 next week.
Wisler gave up 2 hits 2 runs for Tampa bottom 8th yesterday vs. Cleveland, racking up BS and the L.
I signed up for free Peacock when it had the Giants. So, I’m looking at Olympic highlights for some events, they are free. The short highlights are just fine, I don’t need more. The lady snarkks like the women’s gymnastics and men’s water polo (amazing bodies). I was blown away by mens gymnasts. Those guys do unbelievable athletic and strength moves. Seems that sport has upped the ante since I last paid attention. What athletes they are! Women’s judo was kinda cool. I don’t want to take those women on— it’s wrestling with throws. They should have postponed the Games, but I’ll watch the highlights…
Women’s beach handball is an olympic sport. Apparently. The only reason I know this is the headlines splashed all over the interwebs stating the Netherlands team refused to wear bikinis to play.
I have been thinking all weekend about what bat can we add this week to balance out what I think has been a way over-reaching team offensively (we can discuss the pitching as well). So to compare what I still think as a mediocre over-reaching offensive current roster to the Giants that started the 2010 WS Game 1 lineup to a likely Giants playoff roster:
2010 WS 2021 Giants. Advantage
C – Posey Posey Push
1b – Huff Belt/Wade Huff
2b – F. Sanchez LaStella/Solano F. Sanchez
SS – Renteria Crawford Crawford*
3b – Uribe Longoria Longoria*
CF – Torres Grave Duggar Torres
LF – Pat the Bat Ruff/Dick Push
RF – Cody Ross Yaz Yaz
So even with my perspective that the current roster is over-performing, we probably match up pretty evenly with the 2010 team. The asterisks are with the presumption Crawford and Longoria are fully healthy. Even with Renteria being the WS MVP, Crawford has had a much better year this year and Uribe had a much better in 2010 than Longoria but Uribe was only 3-19 in the WS and batted just .149 in the playoffs but had a huge 3 run homer in Game 1. So it is arguable but would think Longoria would have a better playoff than that if healthy and they played into the WS.
The clear advantages for the 2010 team over current roster IMO are Huff, Freddie Sanchez and Andres Torres who I forgot compeltely supplanted Rowand as the starter thank God except for Game 5 where Torres started in left and Rowand in center.
One debatable point is Yaz over Cody Ross. Bochy moved Ross around to left field the games to strengthen defense so if you put him as the starter in left I would give him the advantage to Ruff/Dick and the 2010 WS team a slight advantage.
But we still need another bat. My first choices is Kris Bryant because can play 3b/1b/LF and then Marte as second choice. Haniger maybe third choice depending on who else is on the market. Bryant and Hendricks combo maybe the juiciest potential. I think the chatter of dangling Joey Bart is not real and dont think I put him in that deal for Bryant and Hendricks and certainly not for Marte. Hunter Bishop as best piece maybe part of 4-5 prospects for Bryant-Hendricks (if there is a Bryant extension added into the deal I could swallow losing Bart…maybe). Maybe this Canorio as the lead chip.
The huge advantage was the WS rotation and bullpen, miles ahead of this year’s Giants…I still argue the 2010 pen may have been best in MLB playoff history…dont have the energy to do that research…
The ‘10 bullpen seemed like light-out when they came in.
The ‘12 and ‘14 pens were right up there, too.
Not as much in the regular season, but definitely when the playoffs began each time for all three rings.
The Giants pitching staff performance in the 2010 post season was the best since the ’71 Orioles post season, If I remember correctly. 2010 pitching was just beyond impeccable, and IMO kicks ass on the current staff, which so far has been very good. The Pen today has nothing similar to the Core Four…
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/472656-san-francisco-giants-the-best-starting-rotation-in-modern-mlb-history
Ross was such a freakish lightning in a bottle thing in ‘10.
Scutaro was the lightning in a bottle in ‘12.
Ishi had some lightning in a bottle in ‘14.
The 3-in-5 rings had to have that, or it would have gone so differently. None of those three teams could just over-power the opposition.
I just watch the highlights. But i also miss a lot of em too.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Z just picks up a couple of guys from bumfuck wherever that no one else wants and they end up playing ok for us.
Regarding Snarkk’s post about the Olympics: yeah, we men tend to underestimate the amount of women watching the Olympics, I think.
It’s mind-boggling that Gregg Popovich is being criticized for his coaching, supposedly by some of his players. Concurrent with that criticism, is YardBarker and its ilk, referring to him as “Flopovich.”
Pops is a legendary coach, winner of multiple NBA championships. Equally important, this isn’t like the 1982 Dream Team, where it was comparable to the New York Yankees going against their Single A farm team. In fact, Patrick Ewing, who was part of the original “Dream Team” in 1992, said this, “It’s harder to play now because of the Dream Team,” Ewing said. “All of the current players grew up looking up to us and watching us dominate the rest of the world. But the rest of the world caught up. There are so many talented players. Some of the NBA’s top players today come from all over the world. It wasn’t like that back then.’’
Basketball is the only major US sport positioned to participate eventually in something like a World Cup tournament.
Popovich has created his own nest by treating media like crap over the years.
He’s got 5 titles, and let’s everyone know with his condescending attitudes.
I wonder how great he’d have been without Tim Duncan and the Admiral. Maybe like Kerr without Steph and Klay and KD.
If Popovich lets this one go sideways, the media will have some fun with him…
No coach wins without superior players, including Auerbach and Wooden–being able to get them to buy in to how you want to play is another skill entirely. If USA does not win it all, sure Pop will take the heat but it’s misplaced imo. I’ve watched these guys a couple times, and they are not cohesive, prefer to isolate, and shoot too many 3s. And like lot of stars, inconsistent at D end of floor.
“Citing two people with knowledge of Dodgers clubhouse dynamics, reporter Mike DiGiovanna writes that a majority of Bauer’s LA teammates “do not want Bauer back under any circumstances.””
Not surprising. Wonder how they compensate for losing top of rotation piece plus their other injuries.
Preller has fired first volley in NL West Big 3 trade deadline maneuvers…see what follows.
Would no surprise if the Doghairs go out and get 2 starting pitchers say Mad Max and Berrios
while the Giants settle for an injured Danny Duffy..
Popovich gets totally roasted in this USA Today article.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/8086604002
It’s almost a no-win situation being a player or coach on the U.S. men’s team. When they win, people shrug and say: “They’re supposed to win.” When they lose, it’s a big catastrophe.
Not a great gig.
This guy’s card always went straight to your bicycle wheel.
Never even saw the inside of a shoebox…
Zack Greinke might be having the quietest HOF career ever…
Harold Baines would rank up there.
Betts to the IL with a hip problem, Bauer never going to pitch for LA again, this is starting to look like not their year. Bad penny year.
LA can probably get out of the Bauer deal via the usual morals clause. But, more facts need to develop. Losing him forever would just be a speed bump for that franchise…
Grienke to the HOF? Hmmmm, what’s he got 1 WS win? And it was tainted. Never won 20 games. Don’t think he ever threw a no hitter either. Why do you think he’s going to the HOF?
Pretty sick numbers…
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greinza01.shtml
all those years and no 20 win seasons? I dunno, doesn’t seem like he’d get in to me
If he can go two more seasons, he’s got a good shot at 3,000 Ks.
WS wins matter? How many for Marichal or Ferguson Jenkins? List of pitchers who have thrown a no hitter contains lot of flaky guys without big careers as well. wouldn’t surprise me Greinke gets serious consideration.
what qualifies Grienke for consideration? If dominating or being the best of your peers is must, and it typically is, when did Grienke do all this dominating?????
He was 19-3 one season. That’s very impressive.
that’s one season. HOF is for guys who dominate their peers for a long period of time. One season gets a guy into the HOF? That’s ludicrous
You dont mean Greinke with a WS championship correct?
Yeah no doubt Grienke gets in, he might even go in at the same time Scherzer does another lock..
Pitch count era is gonna wreak havoc on SPs getting into HOF. Other than Kershaw.
Nolan Ryan at age 22 pitched 2 innings of shutout relief Game 3 of 1969 WS and recorded a save.
He pitched until he was 46 and never got back to one.
The Agee game.
Nothing funnier than Curt Gowdy calling him “Tom” Agee.
He was ALWAYS Tommie.
That was like saying Will Mays or Mick Mantle…
The HOF is dead to me, unless / until Bonds and Clemens get in.
Any baseball HOF is a joke that has Harold Baines in, but Bonds out…
The breweries in Cooperstown are a better attraction than the Hall…
Jeff Kent too.So what if he was a hardass redneck and the “White version of Barry Bonds” without the PED’S.The guy produced better then any other second base men and hit the most HR’s all time at second.Instant HOF, that gets screwed every year in my book..
Kent clearly buries HOF 2B Ryne Sandberg…
Where do you stand on Pete Rose?
Much as I despised him, I would personally carry him over the threshold of Cooperstown…
Should be judged solely on his player accomplishments and no allegations of him cheating as a player to throw a game. The all-time hits leader has to be in the Hall regardless of the dark clouds from his managerial days.
Of course Jeff Kent not being in is a mockery of the whole hall of fame process. Kent was a dick to his teammates so I assume was more than a dick to the press who should not vote on any hall of fame for any sport.
It bugs me watching the Red Sox game and seeing Cora in the dugout. He only had to sit out last year’s Covid mini-season, and that was it. And it looks like the media has pretty much let it slide. For Hitch, too. And Astros players.
Manfred is pleased. The biggest fraud in the sport since the Black Sox fraud, and light wrist-slaps only.
The Selig-era steroid use ranks very high, too, of course.
In Manfred’s mind, the Astros and Red Sox theft of championships just all went away.
Here is the criticism of Popovich that I think is valid. The game may have passed him by. His offense is very two dimensional traditional half-court offense while the game is something way different today and this roster is filled with players that play more to the current more up-tempo run and gun. Popovich is a relic. And that the international game is then a whole different ball of wax…
Sign stealing doesn’t offend me, much, especially if the technology involves pounding a trash can lid. We all know the story about the Giants and the Bobby Thomson HR in 1951. (Altuve’s buzzer, though — that deeply disappointed.) There’s no similarity between eight players in 1919 conspiring with high-stakes gamblers to throw the WS and the most recent, unilateral sign-stealing episode. It’s Watergate vs. Lewinsky.
I disagree. Granted, they were both against the Dodgers, but still.
A completely fraudulent World Series is a big deal.
Sorry I completely disagree…they stole that WS. Game 7 on the road and they completely jump Darvish…very suspicious let alone the Altuve walk-off on Chapman…as great of a black mark as the Black Sox…
sign-stealing doesn’t make the series “completely fraudulent.” the bums were probably using less effective sign-stealing at the same time. the astros’ series wins are tainted, but not rotten like 1919. Most moral obliquities are not mortal sins, someone once said.
Wow, OK. I see it differently.
the dodgers were stealing signs too (all teams do), but less effectively
Not close to what the Astros were doing, but as I said, we see it differently.
Greinke has had season records of:
19-3
18-5
17-8
17-7
16-6
15-4
and a bunch of other seasons.
He has a very impressive career winning percentage. A pitcher’s win total isn’t valued as much as it used to be, but his win percentage really stands out.
Don Sutton effect. Rarely outstanding but very good for long time. Adjusted over time too. Still fooling hitters, in different way.
This Greinke debate is interesting. I would have automatically ala Flav said hell no at first ask. But now looking at the numbers, every pitcher over 3000k is in the Hall except Clemens, Schilling (deserves to be in IMO but victim of his conservative politics – Schilling, Pedro and Randy Johnson the three most dominating starters of their era without any allegation of steroids or other performance enhancers) Sabathia and Verlander. Sabathia and Verlander I think both get in and Sabathia easily.
20 wins in a single season just does not mean what it once did. So dont think that is a black mark on Greinke. Sabathia at 254 wins and think Verlander at 226 and assume he does not pitch again but maybe adds some more wins.
Greinke at 218 wins and amazing he has pitched 18 seasons which is a testament to his durability in this era. I did not realize he has been as good as he has this year. Think it is likely he retires closer to 240 wins and certainly breaks the 3000k mark.
And as a comparison, Kershaw is at 184 wins and close to 3000k. Does anyone doubt that if he gets just to 200 wins and 3000k that he is not a lock to the Hall??? No doubt in my mind so Greinke surpassing both surprisingly changes my mind that I say yes to the Hall for Greinke…
Giants totally have to be on Berrios and Scherzer just to make sure they drive the price as high as possible for the Flodgers or Padres. I totally can see the Bums adding Berrios and Kimbrel. They need to pay a very high price for them. Leaves Hendricks more in our wheel house. Good combo in my mind with Bryant.
Kershaw could retire right now, and he’d get in, IMO.
Schilling’s problem is he has some quotes that are flat-out hate-speech.
Hey I grew up watching Pete Rose play, gambling had nothing to do with him being one the greatest players of all time.He’s been roasted at the stake for far to long, he’s should be in the HOF..
Another player I would still like to see get in is Dale Murphy another guy I watched torment the Giants and every other team during the 80’s. Think I saw the other night he still is the career HR leader against the Giants with 11 in a season.Great likeable player compared to other lowlifes in the HOF.It’s another mockery that he’s not in but Harold Baines is?
whatever. I don’t care one whit about Grienke. I’ll believe it when I see him go in
Harold Baines got in because LaRussa threw a fit during a veteran’s committee meeting, and they put him in to placate LaRussa. LaRussa was his manager for several years.
Baines’ numbers don’t justify it.
It took Baines 22 seasons to get his 2866 hits.
dale murphy ten times more worthy
Murphy’s problem is that he kinda disappeared the last 6 years of his career. A great player who just lost it at age 32.
Argument I’ve seen against Kent too–short stretch of being really good.
Murphy was one of the most feared power hitter of the 80’s. That right there gets him in as far as I’m concerned. Baines just hung around a long time never doing anything outstanding. Greinke could get in on the “Baines exemption” I guess
my first jaunt into the Oly’s was watching the Alaskan Assassin just pull off a miracle win. I have no idea who that is but she has a rad nickname, she’s 17 and she just won a gold medal by a whisker. That’s pretty cool
I’m watching an Olympic rugby match, and I have no idea what is going on, but it’s still pretty interesting.
Internationalism is the main reason I like the Olympics; same reason I watch World Cup, even though I’m not a huge football/soccer fan. I always liked the drama of country against country in a (supposedly) peaceful situation. Remember as a kid thinking that 2 countries considering going to war should do a mini-O instead. Loser doesn’t get thousands killed, just suffers a ligament tear. Not nearly so many outstanding Olympic memories as an adult, but from kid-hood? Many images seared into the brain. Don’t know that it made me a better person in the end, but it still felt exciting watching it all, from the other side of the world, in the middle of the night….
I always rooted for Teofilo Stevenson and Kip Keino.
Am I a bad American?
Kip!! The Ugandan distance runner? Loved that shit. And the US guy who who lollygagged at the back for 1350 meters, and then ran like a motherfucker on fire the last 150 meters and win.Tim Waddell?
Maybe Dave Wottle – the guy who ran with a cap?
I think I liked Keino at first for the cool name.
Was that the year Teofilo almost killed Duane Bobick?
The ‘72 Olympics were seared into our memories with the terrorist attack; and Mark Spitz, Bruce Jenner, the men’s basketball team getting completely ripped off in the championship game by a malfunctioning clock.
That same year Fischer defeated Spassky in the most famous chess championship in history. It almost seemed like it was part of the Olympics in retrospect.
Olga Korbut captured the world’s heart in gymnastics in that Olympics. She seemed very human and heroic, and not a Commie robot like we were always taught about the Soviets.
Nadia Comaneci from Romania sure stunned the world at 14 in 1976 scoring the first perfect 10 and ended up with 5 gold medals.Married US Gymnast Bart Conner later on in life,still together I believe..
Jenner was ;76.
Oops, right; thanks.
Loo, funny, but I was going to mention a few of my favorite Olympians, and those 2 were near the top of the list. In fact, as evidence that I apparently could be an obnoxious kid sometimes, whenever I’d fight with my brother or sister, I’d shout out “Teofilo!” before throwing a punch. They hated that. Probably hated me too. Might be why even today, they never seem to ask me “When are you coming back to visit?”……………..
Call from Stix tonight. He’s suffered some health issues, but he’s confident he can consolidate a few rooms from his former home that will provide shelter from the winter and satisfy the government’s requirement of residence. He works constantly; he has some assistance from neighbors. He’s delighted by the Giants.
very cool, good luck to him securing his place for winter up there, serious biz. Hope he can hook up to the interwebs and follow along at some point. MCC site has box scores and updates…and no more Brisbee. guy doing it now is good and mostly stays out of the way.
updates and boxes on all Giants minor league teams.
I really hope he’s not working too hard.
Isn’t Stix around 75?
You gotta take it slow, especially in the heat…
Loved Rose in his early days on Reds, but NO to the HOF. He broke the one inviolable rule with gambling, then lied about it and has changed tune yada yada. As a person he’s ultimate slimeball. As Keith Law pointed out, chasing the hit record and being in the lineup he hurt performance of team.
Made me think of “Flesh Gordon” movie, where one of ongoing insults was “your royal assholiness”.
iirc, Snarkk brought this up way back at Flap meet up #2 at First & Main, that Rose did the one thing you absolutely cannot ever to the nth power, do. imo he doesn’t deserve to let off with a pass based on remorse or past actions.
Flavor Ted Blade Snarkk and E Wisco, great group.
My biggest problem with Rose is for 14 years, he threw friends, family, teammates, coaches, writers, and everyone else around him under the bus denying denying denying. He then comes clean to sell his book?
Fuck Rose. No.
Rose, he knows he’s such a credit to the game
But the Yankees grab the headlines every time
Melodrama’s so much fun
In black and white for everyone to see.
—Billy Joel
But here you are in the ninth
Two men out and three men on
Rose magnificently autographed a baseball for me. Wrote his name and “Best wishes” on it, in very legible handwriting, about 48 years ago, back when major leaguers signed a LOT more. I should send a photo to BF to post one of these days.
I have Jack Clark’s autograph on a baseball, but it’s faded a lot.
The Padres fired the first trade shot. They have acquired all star 2nd baseman Adam Frazier and cash from the Pirates for INF/OF Tucupita Marcano, RHP Michell Miliano and OF Jack Suwinski. These guys sound like stiffs at best.
I read somewhere that the Pirates were only after one of those guys and the other two were toss ins. Right now I can’t remember which one it was it was one of the guys whose last name starts with an M..
They all look like toss-ins. They gonna move Frazier to the OF? They got Cronenworth. Frazier’s a better fit here. Donnie is barrelless these days.
All you need to know about USA basketball in 2021 is JaVale McGee is on the team. WTF? Loved him as a part time role player for the warriors. Never a starter. How in the world is he one of the top 15 guys in America?? That tells you how little value NBA players place on being there. is he a tp 100 player in NBA? Top 150? If 5 starters on 30 teams it would be a leap for him to be top 150?
A lot of the NBA players are saying it was a weird season and they’re banged up and dinged up, and need to recuperate for next season.
Cutch hit a walk-off HR for the Phillies. He’s diggin’ that ballpark.
There were times he literally looked lost in our outfield.
Not quite as bad as Pence, but bad…
One of the sisters of Prince Amukamara, Promise, plays for Nigerian women’s b-ball team. she’s pretty good too, and they gave USA a game for awhile. too much star power, defense and rebounding in end. Nigeria played really hard though and brought lot of ball pressure…just not enough skill or size, and they shot very poorly from floor in second quarter. Had 5 point lead at one point, then soon down 15.
I hope Promise was able to cover someone, unlike her brother.